MARTIN DEMPSTER: Scots look good for Ryder Cup

IN CASE you didn’t notice, Scotland was the only country apart from the United States to have two players – Martin Laird and Paul Lawrie – in the last 16 of the WGC-Accenture Match Play in Arizona.

It’s a pity, of course, they met at that stage and Laird then lost to Lee Westwood in the quarter-finals, but it still represented another good week for Scottish golf and also for our two top-ranked players.

Laird, who picked up a cheque for just over £270,000 and, in doing so, broke through the $8 million mark in career earnings on the PGA Tour, has jumped five places to 35th in the world rankings.

Lawrie, who ended last year at 83rd, is now up to 44th in the world and has also climbed to third spot on the European points list for the Ryder Cup in September.

At 29th on the world list, Laird still has a lot of work to do to put himself in the picture as well but there’s a genuine prospect of two Scots being on that European side at Medinah.

After two straight matches without any player representation at all from the home of golf, wouldn’t that be a tasty appetiser for Gleneagles in 2014?